50% Youth Participation by America250 Launch: Youth Leader Focus Group

Posted by Youth Service America on September 6, 2022

The goal of the 50by250 campaign is to increase youth participation rates in volunteering and service, voting and civic engagement, and joining and leadership to at least 50% by America’s Semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026. Even though youth participation rates are at or near record-high levels, we’re still leaving 3 of every 4 young people out of actively working together for the common good. Opportunities to participate are even fewer for young people of color, youth from underserved low-income families & communities, and other youth not usually asked to serve.

Listen to a youth-facilitated focus group discussion of young leaders about the barriers to youth participation in their communities, and how we can all do more to increase youth participation by personally asking all young people to participate, teaching the knowledge & skills they need to effectively participate, addressing systemic equity & access issues, and telling the story of youth changing the world to motivate and inspire others to participate:

• Welcome & Introductions
• Topic 1: How would you describe the state of youth participation today? What do you hope youth participation might look like by 2026?
• Topic 2: What do you think inspires youth to get involved? What issues are most important to you and your peers?
• Topic 3: What barriers did/do you and your peers face to participating? What do you think is needed to overcome those barriers?
• Topic 4: If you could ask the adult decision-makers in your schools, afterschool programs, youth organizations, nonprofits, or government for any kind of support or policy change to help increase youth participation, what would you ask for?
• Closing Reflections.

Join 50by250 – Sign the Declaration of Participation